


Being Raised by a Werewolf

by Talesofivylight



Series: Being Raised by a Werewolf [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Family, Gen, Godfather Remus, Harry Potter was Raised by Remus Lupin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-26
Updated: 2018-02-05
Packaged: 2019-03-09 14:20:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13483275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Talesofivylight/pseuds/Talesofivylight
Summary: After Lily and James Potter tragic murder, Remus Lupin was distraught. Feeling sorry for himself, he went to his old friend's destroyed house and wept. When a letter from his friend comes to him the following day, he is shocked to find out information that was kept from him for a year, information that will not only change his life, but baby Harry's as well.*Note: This is my story from ffn so please do not think that I stole this from anyone. Chronos-girl is also me.*





	1. Despair turns to hope

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own anything in the Harry Potter Universe. I only borrow the characters. Only the OC are mine.

November 1, 1981

Remus Lupin sat in a covered corner of an abandoned storefront, watching as muggles ran to and fro on the street doing their best to avoid the steady fall of rain that fell from the bleak looking sky. Remus himself looked up at the darkening sky, a scene that matched his feelings and current emotions perfectly; his face being splattered by the drops that fell on his face, mingling with the tears that suddenly started to fall as he remembered his friends. His friends now long gone, three dead and the last, a traitorous bastard who sold out James and Lily to Voldemort, was locked away in Azkaban and good riddance to him. 

Thirteen muggles and Peter Pettigrew all died from the explosion that Sirius Black caused two nights ago, and there were eyewitnesses to the attack. Even though Sirius would not be allowed a trial according to the Prophet, and even though he felt no more love towards Sirius for betraying Lily and James, he still had to wonder…why? Why was he not to be given a trial when that is the protocol of all criminals, no matter their crime and no matter how many eyewitnesses there were? 

The brown-haired young man shook his head and cradled it in his hands as he let out a sorrowful groan of misery. It mattered not why Sirius was not allowed a trial. All that mattered was that the man who betrayed his friends was now to be put away for the rest of his life and Remus could care less about the bloke. 

The rain slowly started to abate, yet the crowd of muggles on the streets continued to grow as more and more of them came out of hiding with the sudden break in the weather. With a deep sigh, Remus stood up as well from his hideaway of the abandoned building and sluggishly walked around the entrance to the side alley, his bones and body protesting with each step. The night of the tragedy was the full moon, which was why he wasn’t there to help Lily and James fight off Voldemort when he arrived. His body was still trying to mend itself from the pain that the change caused him, but today he was about fifty percent better. By this time tomorrow, he would be completely fine with a few twinges here and there. However, even with all of the pain, he just wanted to go and take one last look at the place he considered his home away from home; the home that use to hold two wonderful people and their cherub of a son. 

Eyes widening, Remus mentally kicked himself. 

Harry!

How could he have forgotten about sweet, cheerful, baby Harry? How could he sit there and only mourn the lives of his friends when he didn’t even know whether or not Harry was alright? He knew the boy lived. It was all over the papers that Harry somehow rebounded the Killing Curse back at Voldemort, an idea that made Remus himself roll his eyes and chuckle emotionlessly. Adults couldn’t destroy the most notorious madman in England, an enemy to both wizard and muggle alike, and yet people all over the world truly believed that a one-year-old was able to conduct accidental magic to slay the crazed maniac? Absolute rubbish that was. 

Having reached the end of the alley and passed all wandering eyes of the muggle persuasion, Remus took out his wand and apparated to Godric’s Hollow. As he walked through the bleak looking neighborhood he passed by the cemetery, the place where Lily and James would most likely be buried at in a day’s time after Dumbledore finished getting preparations together. House after house Remus continued to walk through the neighborhood until he reached the wreckage that used to be the Potter house. A sob became caught in his throat as he saw that the door was broken in and the roof above what used to be Harry’s room was collapsed in. Even if Harry did survive the curse, would he have been able to survive the roof caving in over his cot? 

Remus sank to his knees, the combination of recovering from his transformation and the clear knowledge that his friends were gone forever making his knees weak. After a period of crying over the acceptance of his friend’s fate, Remus stood up and went into the trashed house. Each step caused memory after memory of the year that Lily and James lived in that home to resurface and the young man had to lean against a wall to catch himself as he once again felt weak.

Remus, as much as he wanted to venture in and salvage anything of the child’s, completely by-passed Harry’s room after collecting himself. He couldn’t bear with the idea of possibly seeing the cherub’s blood on the cot if the roof did indeed collapse on him before authorities could get him out of there. He could smell the baby’s blood, but he couldn’t bring himself to look into the room. Instead, he continued walking down the hall to the room where James and Lily rested. 

It was almost as if this room was preserved. This must be the only room Voldemort didn’t touch, which means that neither one of them died in here. Moving over to the bed, Remus sat down with his head in his hands. If only the full moon didn’t appear two nights ago. If only he wasn’t a bloody werewolf and a danger to his friends. He would have been able to at least help the Potters get away with their lives, even at the cost of his own. 

A strangled sob escaped the young werewolf’s mouth. “Lily…James…Harry, I’m so sorry. I’m sorry that I failed you all,” he said before laying down on the bed and quickly succumbing to his emotional and physical exhaustion. 

~RJL~RJL~RJL~  
Tap Tap Tap 

Remus shifted in his sleep, trying to block out the sound of that annoying tapping. It’s been going on for the last three minutes already and he was getting fed up. 

Tap Tap Tap

“Alright, you bloody bird!” the werewolf cried as he got out of the bed and walked to the window. “Merlin, no one lives here any longer so why on Earth would you continue to deliver mail here is beyond me.”

Grumbling, Remus opened the window and the owl flew in, landing on the bedside table. In its beak was a green envelope and Remus took it from the bird. “I don’t have anything to give you, sorry.” 

With a screech, the owl flew back out of the window, though Remus was sure that it would have had some very choice words for him if it were able to speak human speech. With a sigh, Remus sat back down on the bed and tossed the letter onto the night table where the owl had just left. Putting his head back into his hands he gripped his hair in frustration and released a depressed groan. 

Even after they’re gone, they’re still getting mail. Remus picked up his head and looked at the letter. The fancy handwriting on the envelope was so familiar…so feminine…so…

Lily!

In a flash, Remus had snatched up the letter and opened it. It was very thick now that he took a careful look at it. Inside, the envelope held a guardianship form signed by Lily and James, a certificate, and a letter, written in Lily’s loopy, yet elegant handwriting. 

It read: 

Dear Remus,  
If you are reading this letter then that would mean that James and myself are no longer a part of this world, however, my little boy will still be alive, I’m sure of it. I’ve been dabbling in some magic that I had found in an old book at a second-hand bookshop in Diagon Alley, and it mentioned a spell called ‘Mother’s Eternal Protection’. It’s a tricky spell… and I would only have one chance to cast it correctly, but I’m positive that with me doing so, I would have been able to protect Harry from that psycho. 

Now, as regards to this envelope and the forms within, once I had found out that Voldemort would be after my family, I had set it up with a trustworthy goblin at Gringotts to have this envelope mailed to you. Inside is a guardianship consent form in which my and James’ names are signed on. You will need this form in order to gain custody of Harry. I trust you, Remus. I know for a fact that even with your condition you will see to it that my son is protected and raised to be a great man. You were the more level-headed one out of the Marauders and though I do trust Sirius with my child’s well-being and he is the first choice due to James picking him and having him at the ceremony while you were recovering from the moon, I would rather you know that I wanted you as Harry’s godfather. When we made Sirius secret keeper, a choice I protested until I grew hoarse, I had given James an ultimatum. If we made Sirius secret keeper, then we would have to make you Harry’s second godfather. 

That would be the certificate that is also placed in this envelope. Call it woman’s intuition, but for some reason, I feel that it was necessary to give Harry a second godfather. 

Please don’t concern yourself with protecting Harry during the full moon. I know I may be asking for a lot, and I’m putting a lot of pressure onto your shoulders by asking you to do this, but I beg of you, Remus, to raise Harry as if he were your own child. I know that if given the chance, you would have been together with Melissa Harroway by now with your own child. With circumstances as they are, your chance at having a family may have seemed omitted long ago, but maybe now you can actually have one with Harry. 

You’re the only person I trust with my son’s life now that James and I are gone. Sirius is too much of a joker and I truly don’t want Harry to grow up believing that life should be handed to him on a silver platter. I’m quite positive that with Harry’s survival, Dumbledore would have placed him with the only blood relatives he has left, my sister and her husband. 

I BEG of you, Remus. Get my son AWAY from them. They oppose anything that’s magic and I am sure that Petunia would not take care of my son as I know she should. Dumbledore already knows that I did not wish for my sister to raise my child and even when I showed him the document of your signature on the godparent certificate, he completely brushed off my concerns. This means that he would do whatever it takes to keep you away from Harry. He…has a plan. A scheme of sorts that will require Harry in some way. I just know it. Again, call it woman’s intuition, but I’ve never been wrong when I’ve had hunches before. I just know the old man is up to something. 

In order to keep you and Harry safe, I made sure to procure a house for you two in New York in America. Remember the postcard I showed you of the city at night? It’s upstate, a little way away from the main city and surrounded by trees. The house belonged to an old aunt of mine who died soon after my parents passed away. There is also a large shack further in the woods behind the house with a bomb shelter installed. I think my aunt was preparing for Voldemort or someone of equal evil going to America. She left the house and property in my name and now I’m leaving it to you. I have also transferred a large sum of galleons to your vault. Don’t ask or worry about how much. Just take it, please, and raise Harry. Your passports and the other documents muggles need in order to fly across the ocean as well as the documents to live in America are safe at Gringotts. Ask for Ragnok and he will help you with the rest. 

I know that you can do this Remus. I have so much faith in you and I have always seen you as a brother. 

Take care and be well, my dear friend. 

Love always,  
Lily 

P.S.- Oh, and if you were wondering about how I acquired your signature, I got it off of a piece of paper one night after you, Sirius, and James got drunk after a Quidditch match. 

Remus stared blankly at the note before reading it over once more, and then blinked owlishly again at it. 

Raise Harry Potter? Alone? He could barely take care of himself and she wants him to raise a child? 

Remus stood in the middle of the room looking at nothing significant. This was a lot of information to take in; a lot of responsibilities that Lily was asking of him. It honestly wasn’t fair at all. For Lily to ask him to raise her and James’ son…and him being a werewolf? There was no possible way he was going to accomplish this. 

And Dumbledore would be furious if Remus did as Lily asked and took Harry from his relatives. After all the old wizard had done for him in the past, now he was being asked to deceive him and run with Harry. He had no right to do that. If he had a right, Dumbledore would have given him Harry the very next night. He had no real ties to Harry. He only just found out that he was the boy’s godfather! 

‘Merlin’s beard…I’m a godfather…’

The thought of Remus actually being responsible for another living being made him quite dizzy and he quickly sat back down on the bed, the words from the letter staring up at him. He wasn’t sure how long he sat there staring at Lily’s handwriting and re-reading the letter, but soon the sun was slowly ascending in the sky, and with it, Remus lifted his head; determination shining within his blue eyes.

He could do this. It would be difficult, of course. Raising a child took a lot of patience and it was a life-long commitment. Once he started he couldn’t stop or pass the child onto anyone else. Once he took Harry from the Dursley’s, the boy would be Remus’ responsibility until the day he decided to kick the bucket; which wouldn’t be anytime soon. 

With determination burning inside of him, Remus left the bedroom. As much as he didn’t wish to view the destruction of his friend’s house, he knew that he needed to gather as many memories of their time alive as possible for Harry. He would enjoy the memories as well, but it was all mainly for Harry’s benefit more so than his own. He went into the young boy’s bedroom first to gather all of the toddler’s toys, clothes, nappies, and other such things that would be needed for a child Harry’s age. By the time Remus finished the only thing in the room was Harry’s destroyed cot and the wreckage that was the child’s old room. Remus returned to Lily and James’ room to gather some pictures and to see if there were any old journals that the two of them may have wanted to give to Harry after he was old enough to understand the theory of magic. He only found an old potions journal of Lily’s and upon flipping through it he found a note folded into the pages of a potion. 

Remus’ eyes widened as he saw what the potion was meant to do. A potion to help werewolves? Oh, Lily, you were always thinking of others even if it meant you lost something in return. 

Dear Severus, 

My dear friend. I know you are probably wondering why I would call you that after our falling out years ago. I want you to know that I have never stopped thinking of you as my dear friend, Sev. You were the only one who understood me and I understood you. Unfortunately, we both allowed our tempers to get the better of us years ago and we never had the chance to apologize. I want to apologize for not talking to you about our row like we used to as children. I should have confronted you as I knew that you were not the kind of person who would come and open a conversation first. Because of my own temper, I allowed angry words to come between us and ruin a lifelong friendship. For that, I am deeply sorry. 

I also want you to know that I forgive you.

I had forgiven you years ago, but again, my pride wouldn’t allow me to speak out about that embarrassing day by the lake. Then everything began to lead from one thing to another and the next thing I knew I was joining the Order and having a family with James. I know that you dislike him; actually, I know that you hate him, but please remember that though he was a right foul git throughout our years at school, he did change for the better. 

There were rumors that you had joined the Death Eaters. If that is true, all I want to ask is why? I know Tobias was a right abusive ass and James and his friends were no better but was life really that dreadful that you had to seek power with evil? I guess I don’t have any right to judge you. We have talked about your home life long ago but I never lived it. But I guess it doesn’t matter. You’re still you, after all, and you are always going to be my best friend, Sev. 

Please do not blame yourself any longer. Forgive yourself as I have forgiven you many years ago. 

Along with this letter should be my old potions journal. You know the one you gave to me for my fourteenth birthday? I’ve had it all this time and I’ve continued to experiment with many potions over the years. This letter should mark the page where I started enhancing the Wolfsbane Potion. I haven’t had it quite right, but I do think I am close to making it perfect. 

But…my woman’s intuition tells me that something will prevent me from completing this potion and without your help, I doubt if it would have been to the top of its ability to prevent the most discomfort in a werewolf. Severus, I want you to finish this potion. Finish it and then patent it. Make it your own invention as I have a feeling that I will not be able to benefit from having my name on it. 

Take care of yourself, Severus. If you ever come across my son, please care for him as if he would have been your own child. 

I love you, Severus, as a brother and as my dear, best friend.  
You will always be in my heart. 

Always, 

Lily 

Remus swallowed the lump in his throat as he finished reading the letter. He placed it back into the book and made a mental note to stop by the owl post office in Diagon Alley before going to Gringotts. He knew that Lily and Severus were close friends and that friendship was pretty much ruined that day by the lake at school when James and Sirius embarrassed the Slytherin horrendously. He knew that nothing could make up for what his friends did to the man all those years ago, nor could he make up for his lack of stopping them when their pranks were out of control. He could, however, send Severus this journal as it was Lily’s last wish for him to have it. 

Having decided on his course of action for tomorrow, he continued to search through the house collecting things of value and items that could be put away in a vault until Harry was much older to appreciate it. Once he was finished, Remus left the house. He turned to look one last time at the house before apparating away to his muggle apartment. 

Today would be the day when he would get the affairs with Gringotts settled that Lily had mentioned in her letter. He would also see about the will both she and James left behind to ensure that no one would be able to meddle with his guardianship of Harry and the many other things left to the only living Potter. The day after tomorrow would be the funeral procession for Lily and James in Godric’s Hollow. He wished he could bring Harry to attend, but he knew that people would question why he had the child in the first place. With Dumbledore being there, he was sure that he would have the child taken away from him immediately and possibly made to forget his friends and their child. 

No, he couldn’t risk losing Harry before he even had the chance to rescue him from his aunt and uncle. 

By the end of this week, everything should be finalized with the goblins and he and Harry would be on their way to America to start a new life together. One without the war at their backs.


	2. Get thee to the bank

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remus makes his way to the bank to settle any loose ends pertaining to Lily's last will and testament. What'll he find when he goes to pick up Harry from his relatives' house?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again and thank you to all who gave the first chapter Kudos. I appreciate the story hits and I really do hope that many more readers will enjoy it. Kudos are much enjoyed and appreciated~

Remus took the floo into the Leaky Cauldron that morning after he took a quick shower and ate a quick breakfast consisting of scrambled eggs and bread. After saying a quick “good morning” to Tom, he made his way to the small alley where he tapped the correct sequence on the brick wall to open up Diagon Alley. The bricks moved slowly out of the way and Remus walked through the alley with a purpose towards the large white building in the back. His first stop would be to Gringotts to clarify what Lily had written in her letter as well as pick up the documents that were made for him and Harry to live in America. While there he was going to see about having his account set up to a combined account with Gringotts American branch. It wouldn’t do to start living somewhere without any means to pay for food or other essentials, even though Remus knew he didn’t have much in his vault to begin with.

 _‘And I plan on raising Harry with my measly wages? I didn’t want to use what Lily left behind but I guess will have to, at least until I can get a job over there.’_ he thought to himself as he went to the front desk.

The goblin behind the desk was too busy stamping documents to notice Remus until the wizard softly cleared his throat to gain the attention of the small creature. He knew that the goblin had heard him but he also knew that one did not rush a goblin if one desired the services of them. Besides, he wasn’t in that much of a hurry that he was willing to risk insulting the only beings who controlled the money in the wizarding world. He would probably end up being poorer than he already was.

After some time, the goblin finally looked up into Remus’ face. “Good morning, sir. How may we help you today?”

“Good morning. I am here on an important matter dealing with a will that may have been left behind by my…” Remus paused and breathed in deep in an attempt to put his grief aside, “my recently departed friends, James and Lily Potter.” He removed the envelope that held Lily’s letter and took out another that was placed in the same envelope- this one addressed to Ragnok-and handed it to the goblin.

The goblin quickly scanned the letter before looking up at the wizard in front of him once more. “Wait here a moment,” he said before motioning to an attendant next to the large door in the back.  

Remus stood there waiting quietly as the bank teller spoke with the other goblin and handed over the letter, hoping that nothing would go wrong and that this letter was real and not some crazy prank set up by some ignorant person intent to drive him mad. The goblin went back to the door he was standing by and entered. He soon returned and bowed shortly to Remus before guiding him towards the back room where a much larger goblin sat waiting behind a desk.

 _‘This must be Ragnok’_ Remus said to himself as he stood before the goblin.

The attendant left the room to finish his duties in the front leaving Remus standing where he was.

“Welcome, Mr. Remus Lupin. I am Ragnok, head of Gringotts bank. I have received your letter, or shall we say, the letter Mrs. Potter left for me within your envelope.” Ragnok held up the envelope in his hand.

“Then you must know why I am here,” Remus replied evenly.

“Yes, it would be prudent to start the process immediately. Have a seat.”

Remus thanked the goblin and gratefully took a seat in front of the desk. Ragnok opened a drawer in his desk and pulled a rather thick envelope as well as two smaller ones. He slid the items across the desk to Remus who took one of the smaller envelopes and peered inside.  

“Inside the smaller envelopes, you’ll find the legal documents for both you and Mr. Potter to enter and live in America as citizens. The larger envelope contains documents and information from Mrs. Lily Potter pertaining to the Gringotts vault in America under the name of Harry Potter, the place where you are to live, as well as documents to show in case something goes wrong with the government”

Remus pulled out the small blue booklet that looked similar to the muggle passport except the American passport had different words on the front. He was sure the documents inside looked similar to what the British passport looks like. He took a look at the photo and found his face staring back at him and once again had to wonder how and when did Lily manage to get a picture of him to place it in a document such as a passport. The papers it was wrapped in had all of the information he would need to enter America without problems including an emergency contact number.

“Who in the world is Acacia Stephens?” Remus wondered not realizing he said this out loud.

“Possibly a relative of Mrs. Potter. You would do well to contact her before leaving England.” Ragnok said. “Now, if you are not in need of my services any longer, I have a large amount of work to do, Mr. Lupin…”

“Wait,” Remus quickly dug into his battered satchel and rummaged a bit before pulling out a small key. “I was wondering if it would be possible to transfer my money to American currency or to the American branch…”

“That will not be necessary. If you look at the documents in the larger envelope, you will see that Lily Potter has already set up an account for you there.”

Remus looked confused until Ragnok waved his hand impatiently toward the larger envelope which Remus opened and pulled out a packet labeled _Gringotts_ on it. Upon reading the document he saw that Lily indeed had set up an account at the American branch and his eyes widened by the amount that was in the account.

‘ _She really thought this all out ahead of time._ ’

Remus placed the documents back into the envelope to look at in more detail later. Ragnok glanced up from his papers at the wizard before him. “Everything is in order I take it?” the goblin asked.

Remus looked up from his satchel. “I believe everything is as it should be. I thank you for your time and patience today, Lord Ragnok,” he said as he stood from his seat and bowed before the large goblin before taking his leave. As he was leaving the bank, the same goblin from before handed Remus a colorful bag without a word before returning to his duties, leaving a very bemused wizard behind.

“Wait, what is in…” Remus stopped his own question as he knew he wouldn’t get answers. Instead, he walked out the doors and used his wand to cast a revealing spell to check the contents within. It was the normal infant bag filled with baby clothes, disposable nappies, formula, bottles, and toys. Amazed at all of Lily's planning, because he knew that James wouldn’t have thought this far ahead, Remus picked up the bag and made his way to the post office where he quickly placed the letter for Severus and her Potions journal together in a brown parcel and paid the attendant to mail it off long after he was on the flight to America. He wanted to ensure that nothing would be traced back to him before he could get out of England with Harry and, knowing Severus, Remus would be tracked and found out before he could even get through the security at the Airport.

Remus made his way over to the apparition point in Diagon Alley picking up a paper with the Potter’s faces on the front on his way. He stopped and looked back at the bustling streets and stores one last time with something akin to sorrow as he knew that he wouldn’t return here for a very long time, if at all ever again. Closing his eyes, Remus took a deep breath before spinning on the spot and apparating away.

***~R.J.L.R.J.L~***

“Come on Diddykins. Time for us to go home and make dinner for when your daddy returns from his very important job.”

Remus stood in the shadows of a house across the street from the park as he watched the blonde-haired woman with a horse-like face and very thin neck pack her chubby baby back into his pram. He didn’t see a second child with her and wondered where Harry could be while she was outside in the sun with her own lump of a child. Remus had watched all afternoon as the woman gossiped with other mothers around the park, boasting about her child to whoever would listen to her prattle on about what milestones her little ‘Diddykins’ achieved in the last day or so. He knew the woman was Petunia Dursley, Lily’s older sister; a woman who hated any and everything dealing with magic and their world. It boggled Remus’ mind as to what Dumbledore was thinking when he placed Harry with the woman and her walrus of a husband. He followed after the duo with his eyes for a while before calmly walking after them. When they reached Number Four Privet Drive, Remus observed Petunia walk to a neighbor’s house and collect Harry before quickly crossing the street to her own home and closing the door tightly.

Remus watched the house until Mr. Dursley came home, thinking during this time on how he would get Harry out of the house.

Should he just knock and pretend to be an influential wizard who would take custody of the child or should he sneak in during the night and take Harry with no one the wiser? The only downfall of the latter plan is that Harry would be searched for high and low both in the muggle and wizarding world.

Either way, Remus sat in the shadows of a neighbor’s house across the street from Number Four Privet Drive and waited until the time was right.

 ***~**   **R.J.L.R.J.L~***

Petunia hummed as she pulled out the roast from the oven and placed it on the counter with a smile. She loved cooking for her family; her husband, Vernon, her son Dudley, and herself. It brought great joy to her life when she was able to provide this little bit for her two special men and today was no different. She left the roast to cool a bit on the oven while she checked over the steaming vegetables to ensure that they were at the perfect consistency, not soggy and not too crunchy as if they never cooked, and then she proceeded to slice up some bread to add to the meal. The last touch was the mashed potatoes that she peeled, boiled, and whipped by hand into the perfectly smooth consistency that was now held within the pot. Once that was done she quickly set the table and placed the roast, vegetables, bread, potatoes, and wine on the table, smiling as she looked at her perfect setting.

“Vernon, dinner is ready,” she said as she went into the living room and picked up her son off the floor who promptly started to scream and kick as he was being removed from in front of the telly.

“Now now, bumpkin, mama is going to feed you in just a bit,” Petunia cooed to the screaming infant as she placed him in his high chair before dishing out her husband’s hefty serving size and placing it in front of him.

Dudley continued to kick and scream until his mother placed a smaller plate yet with a hefty portion of mashed potatoes and two slices of bread on his tiny table. As soon as he saw the white buttery meal Dudley quickly shoved his hands into the mountain and proceeded to stuff his face.

“That’s my boy. He’ll become strong just like his dad.” Vernon said around a mouth full of his own meal.

Petunia nodded her head in agreement as she finished setting her more petite sized serving in front of her and ate with more decorum than the other two Dursleys.

It wasn’t until Dudley’s second plate of mashed potatoes and Vernon’s third helping that a cry came from the hallway. Petunia frowned while Vernon dutifully ignored the crying. However, the cry became louder and higher pitched than normal until Vernon had finally had enough.

Standing from the table, his face turning red from anger, Vernon tossed his napkin on the table. “The nerve of that brat ruining our family dinner! He’s just as despicable as his bloody father!”

Petunia stood from the table as well. “I’ll see to him, dear. Finish your dinner,” she said as she took the short few steps to the cupboard under the staircase. Although she wasn’t very fond of her nephew, who was now crying in full and not just wanting attention, she knew that if she allowed Vernon to deal with the boy she would be possibly taking a trip to the nearest clinic and would have to figure out how to explain away any damage a baby who is barely walking acquired. When she opened the door to the cupboard she looked into the second handed cot with contempt.

Sniffling and whimpering softy was her nephew, Harry Potter. He looked up at her with those large innocent green eyes; eyes that reminded her so much of her sister, Lily, and the anger that fueled her hatred for her sister renewed tenfold.

“What is it that you want, you little freeloader?” she sneered at the babe who only continued to look at her.

Harry’s way of answering was to lift one hand in the air and open and close his fingers. Petunia didn’t understand what the brat was doing as she didn’t teach or even dream to teach her son baby sign language. However, if she did ever practice it, she would know it was the sign that Harry was hungry and wanted milk. It was well past Harry’s dinner time and he didn’t get much to eat at lunch since Dudley ate not only his own lunch and bottle but snatched Harry’s as well and polished that off.  So needless to say, Harry was quite hungry.

Instead of fetching the child a bottle, however, Petunia instead roughly placed Harry to lie down on his cot and tossed the blanket that was riddled with holes onto him. “Go to sleep. You’re not getting another thing tonight and if you cry out once more I’ll let Vernon come for you.” With that, Petunia slammed the cupboard shut and locked it.

Harry sat under the blanket for a few minutes before his tummy started to hurt again. He started to whimper and he rolled over onto his stomach and then onto his hands and knees before grabbing onto the bar of the cot and pulling himself up to a stand. He was very hungry. Why wouldn’t the lady feed him? He began to whimper again.

Outside, Remus cast the _tempus_ charm and checked the time. It was just turning seven and he figured that was enough time to give them to eat their dinner before he interrupted their lives to collect his godson. He had decided that the legal course of action would be the correct way to do things and he walked across the street while pulling out the guardianship transfer documents that he must have clearly missed in the larger envelope he received from Ragnok earlier. At least this way he wouldn’t be chased all over the world with a warrant for his arrest for kidnapping.

Walking up the drive, Remus heard the familiar sounds of Harry whimpering and then crying. He had babysat for James and Lily a few times to recognize his cub’s cry, and the sound made Remus want to get to the child quicker. He had raised his hand to knock on the door when he heard Petunia talking horrendously to the crying infant and then the sound of what sounded like a broom cupboard being slammed shut. It was too loud of a sound for it to be a bedroom door on the first floor.  

 _‘Harry had better not be where I think he is.’_ Remus thought angrily before raising his hand and knocking on the door much harder than he originally intended.

After hearing an annoyed comment come from further in the house, the door opened to reveal Petunia. She took in the man in the large, long, brown coat standing on her doorstep with contempt. “Yes, can we help you? We’re not in the business of taking sales or doing charity.”

Remus did his best to reign in his anger at the woman, knowing that it was just she who spoke so hideously to his godson. “Hello, Mrs. Dursley. My name is…” _Damn, what name do I give them so no one can track me later?_ Remus thought furiously as he kicked himself for not thinking of that ahead of time.

“Your name…is?”

“Tyler Walters. My name is Tyler Walters and I have heard through my connections that you have acquired my cousin, Harry James Potter, after the recent and untimely death of his parents this past Halloween. I am a distant cousin on the Potter side of the family and I was hoping to discuss transferring guardianship of Harry.” 

Petunia just stared at Remus, wondering if this was a prank or a miracle come true. ‘ _Potter has a cousin on his side of the family? This just may be our lucky day!’_

“Please, come in. Come in. I’ll put on some tea.,” she said cheerily as she ushered Remus into the house.

“Petunia, who is it?” Vernon called from the living room.

“A man who says he’s relative of the boy from his father’s side,” Petunia returned as she guided Remus into the living room.

Vernon eyed Remus with distrust. “You’re one of those freaky magic people, aren’t you?”

Remus bit the inside of his cheek at the term Vernon used to describe wizards. “If you’re referring to me being a wizard, then yes, I am. I’m here to discuss transferring guardianship over to my care as Harry is a rightful descendant of my lineage and would do better to be raised with other wizards.”

“Your kind shouldn’t even exist in my opinion. An abomination the lot of you are.” Vernon responded while he focused back on the television in front of him.

Petunia, having arrived into the room at the end of Vernon’s last comment, noticed the look that Remus was giving the man and decided to intervene before anything untoward happened to her husband. “The tea is almost done, would you like to have a seat, Mr. Walters?”

“No, thank you,” Remus pulled out the piece of paper that he needed these muggles of the worse sort to sign. “As a matter of fact, I would like to just get this process over and done with, if you don’t mind. I need for both you and Mr. Dursley to sign the paper to release Harry to me.”

“How do we know you’re not some crazy person just collecting children in order to sell them?” Petunia asked after skimming over the contents of the paper.

“Does it matter, Pet? We’ll finally get the boy out of our lives and out of our pockets.” Vernon said as he struggled to get off the couch he was slouched on.

“Get him out of your lives indeed, Mr. Dursley,” Remus said in a dangerous tone. “You forget that you’re dealing with someone who can make your life quite uncomfortable if the right button is pushed and right now, you’re pushing that button pretty hard.”

Petunia’s eyes widened while Vernon just looked as if he was trying to swallow a melon whole and was failing. Unbeknownst to Remus, he had released his wand from the holster James had given to him as a graduation present years prior and although he wasn’t pointing it directly at the man, he had taken a step toward him.

“I…I think we’d like to sign over the form now,” Petunia stammered as she quickly found a pen and wrote her name on the form. She handed the paper over to her husband, who was about to take it up when the room stopped. They heard a whimper coming from the hallway and soft banging.

“Out! Out!” a tiny voice called from the hallway.

Remus knew his eyes had flashed from blue to amber from the way the Dursleys quickly took a few steps away from him. Petunia quickly picked up her son who was crawling near her foot. “Where is Harry?”

Neither Dursley said anything, too afraid of the man standing in front of them. When the banging continued and the whimper turned into crying, Remus quickly stepped out of the room into the hallway. He stood by the cupboard and used his keen sense of smell to sense that Harry was, in fact, inside of the broom cupboard. With an inaudible growl, Remus unlocked the door and stared at the state of the baby standing in the cot.

Harry blinked from the brightness that suddenly assaulted his eyes before registering that someone was standing in front of him. He looked up into the face of one of his favorite people and gave the man a gummy grin, as he only had four teeth, holding up his arms to be picked up.

“Mooey!” the babe exclaimed before babbling nonstop to Remus.

Remus couldn’t help but smile broadly at Harry as he picked him up. He was ready to break down in tears at seeing his friend’s son in front of him; at holding the baby in his own arms and knowing that he was alive. Composing himself a bit, he turned his head and leveled the Dursleys with a look that promised retribution, but he didn’t say a word except, “Sign the paper.”

As if that jump-started the pair, Petunia quickly handed Vernon the paper to sign and the minute he wrote the last letter the paper rolled itself up in a tube before snapping away to the ministry to be placed in the file of custody granted for Harry James Potter.

Without a word to either of the imbecilic muggles, Remus turned and walked out of the house. Although the Dursleys followed the man to the door, they could not see him any longer, almost as if he disappeared into the darkness. The only sound they heard deep into the night was a soft ‘crack’ as if someone had let off a firecracker.

                                                           


	3. Let Our Lives Start Anew

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remus makes it out of England with Harry and meets Lily's family before moving into his new home with his godson.

_‘This is an airport? If this is how muggles travel all the time I surely would love to avoid it’_

Remus was quite amazed at how many people were gathered at Heathrow Airport this late at night. It was about 9 in the evening and Remus had made it to the airport thirty minutes prior to that. He had managed to navigate his way to a muggle transport called a cab and once at the airport successfully cleared any security checks, although one of the TSA raised a calculating eyebrow and eyed Remus warily when he placed his wand in the bucket to be scanned, which of course promptly messed with the electric machine and shut it down. After fifteen minutes of the workers trying to fix the machinery and having to listen to the fussy and grumpy passengers behind Remus, the TSA workers just waved him on and he was able to continue through to his terminal.

 _‘It’s probably a good thing that magic doesn’t work with muggle electricity or devices. I would have had to explain why I was carrying what they would essentially consider just a stick in my pocket.’_ Remus said after sitting down with Harry in his lap. The child had slept soundly through all of the commotions after Remus had given Harry a bottle -that he had secretly warmed up- in the cab and was laced with a droplet of Dreamless Sleep. He didn’t want to have Harry cast accidental magic around a plane full of muggles or accidentally mess with the captain and flight crew.

The two wizards were sitting for only a minute before the call came for Remus to make his way over to the gate. He only had two bags with him: Harry’s baby bag and his own satchel that would most likely sit at his feet on the flight. After getting settled in their seats- in first class no less- Remus settled Harry down in his lap and reclined in his seat by the window. He looked out at the night sky as the plane roared to life and slowly crawled to the runway. The plane stopped for a minute and Remus was able to look at the airport and think about the times he had in England; the good times and the bad, the happy times and the sad. He looked down at the sleeping child in his arms as Harry shifted in his sleep and curled further into Remus’ chest with a smile.

Looking back out the window, Remus almost panicked a bit when he felt the plane move faster and faster, but instead of some strange feeling he thought he would have to get used to, it felt just like taking off on a broom and the wizard soon relaxed into his seat and watched as the country he called home vanished under the clouds and winked out of sight.

_‘Goodbye England. Hello America.’_

**R.J.L.H.J.P**

Harry wasn’t happy. His nappy was dirty, his ears were hurting, and he was hungry. Normally he wouldn’t put up this much of a fuss because the lady and the scary man would yell at him or hurt him, but he was with his Moony so he knew that his Moony wouldn’t be mean to him. But why wasn’t he helping him? Moony! Moony!

Remus gently rocked Harry as he tried to calm him down. He knew Harry needed changing and he just sent a stewardess to heat up a bottle which he hoped would calm Harry down a little. He would have liked to change his cub but they were about to descend onto the tarmac and he was told to stay seated while the plane landed. He also didn’t wish to torture the other patrons of the plane with the smells of changing a baby*, though it seemed a few older women on the plane seemed to look on with sympathy and understanding. Thankfully Harry was only wet and wasn’t completely dirty. The stewardess finally returned with the bottle and Remus gave it to Harry who held onto it and drank greedily. For the time being, he was quiet and Remus released a sigh of relief. There was an older woman across the way who leaned over into the aisle.

“It’s not easy having to bring the wee ones onto the plane. The altitude bothers their ears and gives them quite the headache, and bathroom breaks are hard to make with the plane rocking or landing,” she commented with her Scottish accent.

Remus didn’t know exactly what to say so instead he just smiled. The woman returned his gesture before looking at Harry who was halfway finished with his bottle. “Is he your only child?”

“Yes. He’s actually my godson. His parents had an unfortunate accident and he was left in my care,” Remus answered vaguely. There was no need to actually give out more information and he hoped that the woman wouldn’t ask anymore.

“Oh, the wee bairn. Such a terrible tragedy,” the woman looked at Remus once more as he was focused on Harry and smiling at the child. “You’ll make a great father for him, lad. Make sure he grows to be big and strong like his godfather.”

Remus stared at the woman for a moment before thanking her. The plane began its descent and Remus held Harry closer to his chest to brace for landing. Thankfully the landing was a smooth one and soon Remus and Harry were off the metal contraption, making their way out through the terminal to the nearest bathroom so that Harry could be changed. Once Remus had a happier baby on his hands, the two wizards went through customs and then to the entrance of the airport where, surprisingly, there was a young woman holding up a sign with his name on it. He tried to shift his eyes as he made eye contact with the woman but she came closer to him and peered at him.

“Are you Remus Lupin?” she asked. She looked no older than him, possibly in her late teens compared to his twenty-one years of age.

“Uh…” Remus hesitated on his answer. He didn’t wish to give away his information in case an ambush was waiting for him the minute he exited the airport.

The girl scowled at the hesitation, then realized that maybe he needed a little more incentive to give out his name. Her mother had informed her that a man would be arriving at John F. Kennedy airport around this time and she had given her the name of the man as well; Remus John Lupin. She was quite positive that this was the man as he had stared at her while she held up the sign and then averted his gaze when she made eye contact. She realized that he was not going to be very forthcoming and instead of scowling, shook her head and gave him a bright smile.

“I apologize for my lack of manners,” the woman held out her hand, “I’m Marigold Stephens, Mari for short. I’m the daughter of Acacia Evens-Stephens who is the youngest sister of Heather Evans who in turn is the mother of Lily Potter nee Evans.”

Remus narrowed his eyes as he registered the information from the woman. This would make this woman Lily’s cousin. Remus stared at the young woman with distrust as his suspicious nature kicked in again. It was too convenient for Lily’s supposed cousin to appear at the airport to wait on him. Besides, Lily never mentioned a cousin in her letter or during their time at school. The letter just mentioned Acacia. How could he be sure that this woman was the aunt’s daughter?   

Mari noticed the look on Remus’ face and quickly pulled out a letter from her pocket. She scanned it and smacked herself lightly on her forehead. “Of course you would give me that look. Again, my apologies. Both Lily and I have this old aunt whom I had the unfortunate luck to be named after, Marigold Lawson, who lived in upstate New York. She’s the youngest sister of our grandmother…” Mari trailed off as she noticed Remus had slowly begun walking towards a yellow cab.

“Wait! What I’m saying is the truth!”

“What you’re saying sounds recited and a bit too convenient for my liking. You just so happen to be the cousin of Lily, have a mutual aunt who lived in New York, and somehow knew that I would arrive at the airport with Lily’s son. Exactly _how_ do you expect me to take all of this information? Especially since I never phoned ahead to Acacia to let her know I was arriving,” Remus snapped as he turned to look at her with a glare.

“Take the information as it is and just deal with it,” Mari replied just as testily.

Remus shook his head and turned away once again toward the line of cabs waiting at the far end of the entrance. Before he could go much farther he felt a bubble surround him and he turned around with his wand out, ready to defend Harry and himself from the person who would dare to attack them.

“Relax. It’s just a privacy spell to prevent No-Majs from overhearing us,” Mari said as she walked closer to Remus, stopping as the wizard raised his hand slightly. She could see he was ready to cast a spell and smirked at him. “Before you send a hex my way, let me give you some more information. Your name is Remus Lupin. You went to Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with Lily from nineteen seventy-one to nineteen seventy-eight. Your friends were James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew. You are a werewolf. Your friends became Animagai in their fifth year in order to keep you company on the full moon every month and you were Head Boy and Prefect during your time at school. You received a letter from Lily after her death stating you to be the second godfather of her son, Harry Potter. You were given instructions to bring Harry to America to start a new life together as her idiotic and atrocious sister, my magic-hating and extremely jealous cousin, Petunia, would most definitely treat Harry less than dirt and worse than a House Elf,” she paused in her tirade, “should I continue?”

Remus just stared at the woman with his mouth gaping. Mari took that as her cue to pull out the letter from her pocket and hold it out. “I’m not a stalker. Most of this is information I received from Lily over the years that we both were in school,” Mari tilted her head to the side in thought, “although I do wonder how Lily even considered marrying James when she would write to me saying how much of a jerk he was towards her and her friend, Severus. I always figured that those two would get married but I guess fate had other plans.”

Mari stared at Remus and waved the paper in his face, which pulled him out of whatever stupor he was in. He shifted Harry, who had started to doze, to his shoulder before opening the letter he was handed.

“The werewolf information came in that letter to my mother. Of course, I didn’t know what time you would actually land here until my mother yelled at me to quickly make my way down here to retrieve you. My mother is a Seer, and apparently, she saw you arriving at this time.”

Remus read the letter over quickly. It pretty much read the same as his own letter with a few alterations for the specific person, but nonetheless, it was the same. Remus looked back at Marigold who was just staring at him with a raised eyebrow as if to say ‘Have I satisfied your lack of trust in me?’. Remus watched the girl warily before handing back the paper.

“I don’t trust you, not yet at least. However, if you are truly Lily’s cousin, then I suppose I will allow you to take me where I need to be.”

Mari rolled her eyes and pulled her car keys out of her pocket. “Well, it’s about time you came to your senses. Come on, the car is this way and it’s already installed with a car seat for Harry.”

“A what?” Remus asked as he followed after the woman.

**R.J.L.H.J.P.**

Acacia sat in her living room with her daughter and their guests, watching with a slight smile at how the elder of the two wizards continuously looked around himself and held onto the baby in his lap tightly regardless of how much the child was wiggling to be released. She knew he would be skeptical and anxious and she honestly couldn’t blame him. When you suddenly become the guardian of the most famous wizard in the world, _The Boy Who Lived,_ it was a given that one would be wary of everything around them for fear of being ambushed or harm coming toward the child. Thankfully, there weren’t any crazed dark witches or wizards who followed after that lunatic from England here in America. Oh sure, America had their fair share of dark witches and wizards, like the time that Gellert Grindelwald infiltrated MACUSA in the twenties, otherwise the American Auror force would be out of jobs, but none of those fanatic murderers with their insane sense of self-righteousness originated from this country so the two wizards were relatively safe from anyone attempting revenge for their ‘Dark Lord’.

Mari sat in an armchair that allowed her to see both her mother and Remus clearly without having to do much but move her eyes if she wanted to. She watched as Remus observed his surroundings and had to force herself not to roll her eyes as he eyed the staircase for the third time as of someone was planning to ambush him.

“You know, if we had wanted to kill you or Harry it could have been done the minute you stepped out of the terminal,” Mari said sarcastically bringing Remus’s attention to herself, “There’s no one else in the house except the four of us.”

“And I’m just supposed to believe you?” Remus asked narrowing his eyes in suspicion.

“Well…I suppose not, considering you don’t know us. But even so, we’re not going to harm you Remus, so please relax. You’re making me nervous just by watching you.”

Remus stared at the girl sitting to the left of him. He didn’t know these women, he was in a new country now having to raise his best friend’s son, and he had no clue if he was being hunted currently as they speak. But something about Marigold eased his tensions and suspicions and he relaxed a bit, allowing his body to sink gratefully into the blue and silver couch that he was sitting on. He gently placed Harry down next to him. The toddler moved to get off the couch that was a bit too high for him to even crawl off of and Remus was tiring himself out fighting with the one-year-old as he continued to pull him to the back of the couch to sit.

“Leave the child be, son. He won’t get into much mischief and I have child wards on any sharp edges and other things. I have many young grandchildren who are quite accident prone,” the elder of the two witches stated with a chuckle.

Remus sighed in defeat and allowed Harry to slide off the couch and wander around the room, his balance seemingly intact for a child who just learned how to walk in June. With Harry exploring the room on his own, Remus took the time to actually take in his surroundings. The three adults sat in a small living room decorated with floral blues, whites, and purple flowers patterns on the couches and curtains. The oval carpet, in which the couch and the two armchairs were sitting on, was a deep royal blue. Over on the right-hand side of the room was a fireplace that was lit and glowing brightly, keeping the occupants of the room warm and cozy. The staircase leading to the bedrooms outside of the living room was visible to Remus from where he sat. His analysis of the room finally landed back on the elder woman who was watching him with a soft smile and he quickly averted his eyes to his hands.

“There's no need to be shy, child. It is quite understandable that you are watching your surroundings and that’s actually a good habit to keep, especially being a werewolf and the new guardian of Harry,” Acacia took a sip from her tea, “I just wish my youngest daughter would be as cautious as you are,” she said off handily.

“Mom,” Mari said in exasperation.

“All I’m saying is that you being a werewolf should give you a better sense of self-preservation like Remus here.”

“You're a werewolf?” Remus asked finally looking up in surprise. ‘ _How did I not sense or smell that on her?’_

“My life isn’t in danger of being obliterated here in America like his would be in England. I have a pack that has trained and taught me how to protect myself,” Mari looked at Remus who was giving her a calculating look, “If you’re wondering how you weren’t able to sense why I was a werewolf it’s because of the training I just spoke about, something you obviously never had if those fading scars on your face are anything to go by.”

“What do you mean by ‘training’? There’s nothing to train when being cursed like this. All we do is destroy and hurt people.” Remus muttered angrily.

“That’s where you’re mistaken, Remus,” Mari said sadly. “They’ve warped your mind something awful across the pond. For werewolves here in America, if we’re surrounded by elders and pack members we can live amongst other witches and wizards without trying to hide from them as if we were registered sex offenders.”

“I don’t hide from others.”

“That’s bullshit and you know it, but I won’t press you,” the younger werewolf said harshly. She softened her tone when she noticed Harry jump at the tone of her voice. “The next full moon is next month so we’ll see how you are by then after your living arrangements are settled,” she said softly as she looked down at the cooling liquid in her teacup.

Remus narrowed his eyes but also didn’t say anything else on the subject. There was no way to make the life of a werewolf better. They were condemned the minute they were turned. Although, he couldn’t deny to himself that the idea of having other werewolves that didn’t follow after that crazed lunatic as a pack did sound appealing. He gave Mari another calculating look before quickly shifting his gaze down to Harry just as she looked up from her tea. The small child looked up at Remus and gave him a gummy smile, his four teeth prominent as his shirt became covered in drool. The older wizard smiled back softly which prompted Harry to crawl over to hug Remus’ leg.

“So,” Remus started as he put his hand on Harry’s head, “about this house…”

“Ah yes! I almost forgot what with all the excitement of having you and Harry here,” Acacia said as she slowly stood up from her seat. She walked over to the small bookcase in the room and pulled out a book. From the book, she pulled out a thick envelope. “Here’s the deed to the house and some money that Lily asked Mari to pull out of the bank for you. There’s enough to last you through to the New Year.”

Remus took the envelope. Acacia motioned to Mari who drained her cooled tea and moved over to the two wizards. She picked Harry up along with the baby bag. “We should get going then. It’s about a four-hour ride to your new house,” she bounced Harry on her hip and tickled the tot, making him laugh loudly. “You ready to see your new home, Harry?”

Harry giggled and clapped his hands, babbling loudly as Mari strode out the house to the car. Remus stood from his seat and placed the envelope in his back pocket. He had to go through all of them as he had a load of envelopes from Lily. He still couldn’t believe this would be his new life. Living in America with Harry, meeting new people, being a family with his godson. The question he had for himself was, could he actually do it?

A hand gently placed itself on his arm and the wizard looked into the brown eyes of Acacia. “Everything happens for a reason, young man. You will be alright. You both will. You’ll see.”

Remus absorbed the woman’s words gratefully. With a smile, he took the old woman’s hand and kissed the back of it gently before thanking her. He left the house after his godson and the woman who would soon be driving them to their new home in Binghamton, New York. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone who gave a Kudos and who took the time to actually look at my story. This is just the beginning and I do plan on having more stories surrounding Remus, Harry, and another lovable character from the stories. Let me know what you think.


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